37 Weeks... Full Term!!!

Full term… Yep that’s right! I am so glad to be at 37 weeks. I have been anxiously waiting for this week! This week marks the Birth Center Birth possibility. I know it may sound silly butt I had a fear in not making it to 37 weeks. Chalk it up to this crazy world and people putting stupid ideas in my mind but I just did not want to go into premature labor… I was not interested in ending up in the hospital. But unless something is wrong with Michael or I, a hospital visit is becoming less of a possibility.  I can now focus my energy on staying healthy and mentally prepare myself for the adventure ahead of us.

This week Joe and I finished and put up the upper cabinets in the kitchen! They look good if I do say so myself. This week/weekend I am will be working on the lower cabinets. Hoping to have those all finished and installed by Monday. We have 4 people coming to help with the house this week… Thurs-Sat I have someone coming to level out the bathroom floor and tile it. Monday-?? I will have someone to come install the quarter-round and put ¼” thick drywall in the bathroom and prep it for painting. On Tuesday we are having someone come service the AC unit. And once the walls are done in the bathroom, we will have our plumber come to install the vanity and toilet… So it is going to be an expensive and busy week! We are taking donations :)

Julie came over this afternoon to do a few more photos before I pop… I am so happy with them! I have posted my favorite below! Here is the link to see a few more https://picasaweb.google.com/julie.gayler/AmandaS37WeeksShoot?authkey=Gv1sRgCKi6qre2utWJxQE&pli=1&gsessionid=6qE_nDw7oHvxSzFhYTZlHw#5589639321133142338

She brought her little one (a week old today) and so of course I took some photos of him! I have been collecting new props and I put most of them to work with Eli! Now I am even more excited to have Michael so I can photograph him!

So now onto this week’s development:

If you haven't yet delivered, you've reached the calm before the storm. You're probably monitoring your body for those first Early Labor symptoms and wondering what you've forgotten.

Your smooshed-up baby is weighing in at around 6.3 lbs and 19 inches (with boys somewhat heavier and longer than girls).

As far as their internal organs go, your adorable poop and blood factory has reached "term" - a medical term that means your sweet little bun is birth-ready and labor is welcome and normal at this point.

Despite being physically ready to land on planet Earth, your baby's immune system is quite weak and will continue to be that way for their first years of life.

Thankfully, your breast milk (aka "boob medicine") protects your child via protective antibodies that are present in your breast milk.

Cute pictures!

Hey! This is Amanda's friend Bridget, from Ohio...the one with baby Jacob. I just thought that I would share some cute pics from her baby shower weekend. I know, it's been like a month and a half...but better late than never! You can see how excited Jacob is to meet his new best friend!

"Come out and play with me!" ~Jacob

Just waiting for Michael.

** Kisses for Michael!**

All smiles with his Auntie Manda and his best friend!

Busy Busy Bee

I have spent the last week working on a bunch of little and big projects! I must say that I have done so many things pregnant that I never thought I would (including tiling haha) but I digress…

I have been working on the many scrapbooks I have to do before Michael is born. I finished my 4^th on Thursday so now I am down to 6… I hope to work on another today! Joe has spent the week putting together some of Mikey’s things. He put together the bouncer, the pack-n-play and he installed the car seat. They pack-n-play was quite an adventure… it had him sweating as he fought to fit it all back in the bag! Kind of funny! We plan to use it as his crib when we go to NJ and Ohio this summer so learning how to break it down to its smallest size to fit in the provided bag is somewhat important… well we failed. But we did figure that the more we take it down and experiment with it the better shot we have. We are good with puzzles but this darn pack-n-play is bigger than a puzzle. There has to be a way... and it’s really bothering me that we can’t quite figure it out! Dad is a master packer and pretty darn good puzzle solver… maybe he will be able to figure it out :) I have no doubt we will be pros when we finally get home from our 2 weeks trip!

Today I hope to bring the car seat to the Fire Department to have them double check the safety. I love that they encourage new parents to come by to check. It really will put my mind at ease knowing he is as safe as he can be! Now it will be up to Joe and I to travel with him safely. I am anxious to have Joe drive us home after he is born, I want to see just how much different he will drive. I have a feeling with him in the car he will slow down a little… it will be cute! …but only time will tell!

I finished washing all of Michael’s things. Now all that is left is just getting it all organized. I plan to work on that today. I finished making his wood letters spelling his name. We painted the shelf that they will sit on. Once his clothes are organized and put away all that will be left to do in there will be to hang all the stuff on the walls.

The upper cabinet doors are almost done. Yesterday morning I was out in the garage in my nightgown, slippers (I know good image!) and I had a drill in my hand. I drilled all the holes for the knobs. They I put the glass in the cabinet. Today I will head out there (in my nightgown again I am sure) to clean and then frost the glass. Once that is dry, we will add just a little more silicone to make sure the glass is adhered to the door. Then it will be Joe’s job to get the doors back up on the cabinets. I would do this but I doubt my mother would enjoy knowing I was getting up on the counter haha! But we shall see!

As I sitting here I just remembered that we need a living will or whatever it’s call. So I have to state who will take over medical decisions if something were to happen to me (I think) and then we (Joe and I) have to decide and put down on paper who would get Mikey if something were to happen to the both of us… ugh just one more thing on my list! We are running out of time on this as well! Oh and I need to write up the birth plan! We know most of what we want by voicing it to each other but it needs to be written down so that the midwives know what we want and can do their best to follow our wishes. Plus in case of a hospital transfer they will have it as well! …So I will work on the birth plan today I guess as well!

Lets see… did I about cover everything that we have been working on? We are pet sitting another dog this week so they have been keeping each other busy allowing me to get some of these things done. They do have a lot of energy so that has some getting used to but lucky for us the weather has been very nice and not too hot so they spend most of the day rough housing outside… and then nap inside sometime in the middle of the day.

…ooo here is a Braxton hicks contraction! Nothing serious just a little tightening :) My feet have finally stopped swelling (well as of lately of course). If I do too much they just blow right up so I try and make sure to take some break in between.

Ok I am off to do some cabinet work… I can’t wait to finish the dang kitchen!

36 Weeks

9 months… wait is that right? I mean it seems like time has flown by and I feel so unprepared… The house is still in disarray. I spent a good portion of the morning trying to get a few things put away in out cabinet-door-less kitchen. I did manage to put a dent into it but there is still so much to be cleaned and put away. All I can do is take it one day at a time. The more I am on my feet the bigger and more uncomfortable my feet get so it has been a hard balance!

Joe and I went to Savannah on St. Patrick’s Day. We have gone the 2 years prior to 2011 and we didn’t want to break the streak even if I was almost 9 months pregnant. We went with some friends and we had a good time. We got into town later than we have in the past and by the time we finished dinner the streets were dark, crowded and drunk. So needless to say a pregnant woman and a woman with a 2 month old looked a little out of place but funny nonetheless! We didn’t stay too late; Joe had to work in the morning. We had a good time and we look forward to going next year. Mikey will be almost a year old so we are thinking about going to the parade next year, but we shall see!

The week was pretty uneventful for the most part. I have been working like a mad woman on scrapbooking. Right now I am in the middle of the Honeymoon scrapbook. It’s a pretty small one compared to the others on the to do list so I hope to finish tomorrow.

The highlight of my week was Tuesday. My friend here in Beaufort had her baby boy. She and I met when we were both in our first trimester (I think) and we have taken this journey together and it has been a lot of fun. This was not her first child; her third and she has been a true inspiration of natural childbirth. We both decided to use the Birth Center for the delivery of our babies! When I learned that she had the baby I was so excited for her! I was honored to have her ask me to come and take photos for her. We both are photographers and so we have traded photos throughout this whole pregnancy! It has been so much fun!

So I eagerly jumped in my car to head to the Birth Center. Eli was only about 6 hours old and ready for his photo shoot. I took a bunch of photos and I have added a few of my favorites below...

So now onto week 36 and Michaels update:

The countdown to your sweet lil' womb hi-jacker's eviction is closing in!

In fetal developments: most of the bones (soft skull aside) in their little body are now completely hardened, providing a solid structure from which they can now make their grand debut into the world.

In physical fitness news: your mini-champ's muscle tone is improving, and you’ll be impressed by their steel-like Ulnar grasp (a newborn reflex that occurs if you lay your finger in their palm).

35 Weeks

Week 35 is here and Michael will be here in just weeks! We had an appointment/birth class on Monday afternoon. The birth center has brought on a new Midwife, Rita. She taught the class and did the belly checks at this appointment. It was our first experience with her and both Joe and I really liked her energy. To top things off (Joes favorite part) she is from NJ! She was kind of spunky and she sounds very passionate about what she does.

The Birth Center has 3 practicing midwives and to be honest, Joe and I would be delighted to have any of the three deliver our baby. I am so glad that I feel this way too! If we would have used the doctors office we would have had 1 of 4 deliver our baby and we were truly only happy with 2 of the 4.  So now the chances of us coming out of this experience happy with our care provider is quite high!

So Michael is head down still so that is good news. With his head so low I am constantly going to the bathroom and then as I am washing my hands I still feel like I have to go to the bathroom. Its quite amusing, I think Joe is getting a few laughs from it!

I have been hard at work on my scrapbooks… I did a calculation and I actually have 7 more to go (2 down). I know its ambitious but for those of you that know me… I am determined to get it all done! I am trying to be super mom already haha!

So now onto Michael…

Congratulations! You’re now carrying over 5 pounds of baby-goodness - not counting their amniotic fluid, the umbilical cord, or the placenta itself.

Developmentally, your wee womb-tenant has the fat-factory running at full tilt while their digestive system puts the finishing touches on critical organs in preparation for their first meal (remember - before birth, all of their nutrition was blood via the umbilical cord).

With their first meal in mind, it's time to look forward to one of the most important things you'll do for your infant - namely, keeping them alive with nothing more than your breasts

Eventful 3 Days...

How could I not blog about this week so far… and its only Friday!

On Wednesday morning I woke up at 2 am. I was having some pretty bad stomach cramps and they were very uncomfortable. So I got out of bed and sat in the living room and watched TV hoping to distract my mind. It did not work. In fact they were getting worse… and then the waves of stomachaches came in sync with Braxton hicks! Interesting I though so I started to kind of keep track of how many I was having etc. For all I knew these were early contractions! I was sure that my mind was over reacting so I kept plugging away at trying to keep myself sidetracked.

Joe left for work (He had mentioned the day before that this was going to be a busy day). I laid down and took a good 2 hour nap and I awoke to another painful stomachache. So I call mom (she and my sisters were headed down here that day and I was hoping they were magically on the road; I hated being home by myself not feeling well). She thinks that what I am experiencing was just a stomach bug but I should call the Birth Center just in case. With a sigh and a roll of my eyes I obliged. I hate crying wolf and I didn’t want to raise any unnecessary concerns! For those of you that know me I don’t call or go into the doctor unless I can’t breathe or unconscious haha… I just don’t care make big deal out of things. But in the interest of me being only 34 weeks and if this was pre-term labor and thinking of Michael I called. They were a little alarmed and wanted me to come in.

I call Joe crying (poor thing thought I was dying… oops). I felt so bad asking him to come home from a super busy day at work to take me to Savannah! In my head I thought this was all for nothing so I hated having to even ask him. Of course he didn’t mind and wanted to make sure I was ok so he rushed home to drive me out there. Gosh I love him!

So anyway… we get there, they hook me up and we wait around to see what’s going on. So no contractions… good news! I am not dilated and so the conclusion is that its just a stomach thing. So now I feel terrible… I knew that is was nothing but I drug Joe out of work and probably kept some of the nurses and or midwives from a lunch… I hate feeling that way!

So yeah, stomach hurt pretty much the rest of the evening. Mom, Ash and Britt came in from Raleigh. I was so glad they were able to come down for a visit. We didn’t do much that night as I wasn’t feeling too hot.

Thursday morning I was feeling so much better! I woke up starving (probably because I didn’t eat much on Wed). We did a few things around the house, washed Michaels bedding and some clothes and blankets etc. Ash put the stroller together for me… Britt helped me make the Honeycomb canvas… and later that day we all went on Base for the Baby Shower. It was a lot of fun and Michael got a lot more fun gifts! He is so loved already!

This morning (Friday) I was back to feeling pretty yucky again unfortunately! But I sucked it up as we had another ultrasound to look at Michaels Kidneys again… and guess what!  He still has fluid… big surprise! So again they aren’t too concerned we just have to mention it to our pediatrician so he can keep an eye for any problems. They did a few measurements on him to guess his size (of course its never really that accurate but whatever). They guessed him to be 5lbs. Slightly small but again not overly concerned as he was being stubborn and not letting her get the best measurements.


People have asked if I am concerned about him being to big... answer... NO! Even if this measurement is wrong and hes like 7lbs I am not worried one bit. Size of the baby has not been proven hereditary in any way, if there are any links its your mothers history. Most babies are not going to get too big for the mother's body. I've got hips and I am confident that he will come out just fine... wether he is 6lbs or 11lbs! Of course it would be nice to have Mikey on the smaller size but who knows what God has in store for him! 

So we are literally pulling out of parking lot from the ultrasound and I get a text message from my Aunt. Now I have not spoken a word to her since June 6^th 2010 (day after Joe and I got married in Sav). Long story I wont get into because quite frankly I am past it and at peace. So this text came as a surprise of course. 

It reads “Your Grandma is anxiously waiting to hear from you re: pkg delivered yesterday AM from FedEx. She asked me to ask you to call her today. Thx”

**OK yes, I knew Grandmas was sending some outfits she had made for Michael. I was excited to see them. This text implies that I am being ungrateful in not called her… regardless of the fact that I just haven’t felt that great. I don’t go very long without talking to grandma. I also know grandma well enough to know that she wouldn’t go through my aunt to have me call. If Grandma needed to talk to me she knows my number and has, and will call me.

So I just assume that my aunt doesn’t know I spent the day under the weather so I reply back “I will call no worries… Yesterday I spent at the Dr. We thought we were going into pre-term labor.”

Well I just figured the convo would end there; especially since my aunt is a nurse and I figured she would understand. My intention was to never not call my grandma. With her sleep/nap schedule it is a little difficult to find the right time to call and catch her awake. So a few min later I get another text from her. Strange I thought but I opened it up to read it.

It says (and I am not making this up… I’ve got it on my phone!) “Trust me, sending u that message was the last thing I wanted to do”

So how do you interpret that? I didn’t respond to it. I was not interested in ruffling any feathers. I let it go. But I can’t help but wonder if she meant she was upset she had to break the silence or if she just figured I am old enough to know better to call and thank someone. Either way I felt it quite hurtful and rude. To be honest I didn’t expect anything less.

I know that I am grateful that I have Ash and Britt as sisters. They would never treat my kids the way she has any of her nieces or nephews. But who am I to judge; maybe the relationships she has with the others are great! I can only speak for myself.

Oh and I did call Grandma this afternoon for those who were curious! I love her so much and I miss her terribly! Talking with her is always an adventure and I am so glad she is still around for me to call! She was happy to hear I got the package but to be honest; she was more concerned about making sure I was feeling better and she warned me to take it easy and not do too much, she says “Now don’t over do it Amanda, you promise!”

34 Weeks

We are in week 34! The fact that Michael will be here in 6 weeks (give or take) just blows my mind! It really puts into perspective all that still needs to get done around here. We are focusing on getting the master bathroom done asap. Hopefully we will get that done this coming week or 2 so we can start on the hall bath. Those are the last 2 big projects that I want done before Michaels comes. I have been working on the cabinet doors and drawers. So this week I plan to get the measurements for the glass inserts. Hoping to get the doors up and finished buy the end of the month! I plan to so all this while simultaneously washing all of Michael’s stuff and getting his room finished! Of course there are tons of little things that I would like done but I know to finish it all will take some time. Its hard to stay so motivated when my mobility and energy level are dropping!

We have a busy week ahead of us… Mom, Ash and Britt are coming into town for a work baby shower and another ultrasound so I am looking forward to that!

Here is what is going on with Michael…

Your amazing baby is on the move!

Until now, your wee womb-squatter's been living fairly high up in your poor stretched-out womb - blithely compressing your poor lungs and internal organs.

This week your baby's going to pack their tiny bags and make the "big" move to your pelvis - commonly referred to as the time when your baby "drops". (OH MY GOSH I CAN’T WAIT FOR THIS)

If you haven’t noticed it already, you’ll be feeling the weight shift indicating your baby is most likely out of breech position (if they're being stubborn, check out 17 Ways To Turn a Breech Baby) with their head now resting on your pubic bone.

When baby drops this may also give you some horrific stabbing back pain as they press on your sciatic nerve.

If that's the case, get off your feet and try to do some spine-lengthening stretches to help your baby move OFF that poor throbbing nerve.

In developing internal-organ news: although not quite fully formed, your little poop-factory's liver is now capable of processing a certain amount of waste.

Because your baby's liver is not quite birth-ready, it's common for newborns to get a case of mild and harmless jaundice (signaled by a slight yellowing of the skin).

Jaundice is the result of your baby's body producing more bilirubin (a by-product of blood production) than the liver can currently breakdown, leading to a subtle yellow tinge that goes away in a few days.

Babies born earlier than their due date tend to have moderate to severe jaundice, which - in the hospital, will be treated via light therapy to help their body break the bilirubin down.

For home-birthers, jaundice is easily dealt with by increased breastfeeding (to help their body pass the bilirubin) and "naked time" for baby in a warm sunlit area for 10 minute intervals throughout the day until it disappears. (SO IN OUR CASE… A LITTLE SUNLIGHT WILL DO JUST FINE! )

33 Weeks

So on Monday (2/28) Joe and I went into the Birth Center for another class/appointment. This one was all about labor and birth. I was expecting to get into a bunch of positions but we just discussed stuff instead. The nice thing with the birth center is that Joe and I can pretty much do whatever we want… moving around during labor is key and they will make sure we don’t stay in one spot too long. This kind of scares me a little; just so uncertain of how this is all going to feel. Good thing Joe has been practicing helping me move and get up cause I will be enlisting him as my primary aid to move from position to position! I am sure he is so excited to know this!

I really enjoy going to these classes! It puts my mind at ease knowing that I am not alone in my journey to have our baby at the Birth Center. At first I felt like the world was against me… and some people may still have their doubts but these classes and women have given me the strength and encouragement in knowing that I can do this. I am put at so much ease every time I see another women listed on the board who just delivered.  Of course every women is different but if they can do it… I sure as heck can too :)

So anyway… back to 33 weeks! I am struggling so much more. Sometimes when I am up walking around I feel like Michael is trying to claw (literally) his way out of my you know what! Quite an uncomfortable feeling I must say. I find myself searching for a place to sit or lay down to make him stop. Joe is a huge help! I no longer see his eyes roll when I ask him to do simple things for me :) I think its finally hitting him that I can no longer do the things I used to do so he is wonderfully picking up the slack! I know I don’t say it enough but I do appreciate him very much. I give him a hard time and I know I need to stop! That will be my goal this upcoming week (since I am posting this so late it will be week 34). I will let you know how it goes!

Here is a new update of Michael this week!

For all the weight and bulk you’re lugging around these days, you’d think your little champ would weigh more than a mere 4 pounds!

But once you add in the placenta, amniotic fluid, and extra blood, you've got at least 10 pounds of baby and their life-support gear smooshed up against your organs!

In terms of appearance, your sweet lil' looker is getting cuter and pudgier every day as they pile on that adorable baby fat.

And as you know all too well, your womb kick-boxer is getting stronger with every passing day. Heck, it’s even possible to observe a well-placed belly-wobbling kick just by watching your belly!

Here's a fun game for when your kick-boxer is especially active: place a small object (baby blocks or a remote control) on your belly and see how far your star-kicker can lob that thing across the room!

Despite their obviously increasing strength, your bigger-by-the-day baby will actually start dropping their rate of movement in the last few weeks, no thanks to their restricted womb space.

If movement ceases for over an hour, drink some cold juice, lay on your side and wait for some added movement.

If nothing's happening at that point, go ahead and call your medical caregiver.

Hey, did you know you’ll continue feeling your baby's movements even during labor?